Wednesday, January 16, 2013

How I find deals, save money

Although my expenses have been rising, my resources haven’t. In fact, right now I’m on a fairly fixed income. I’m not complaining it just is what it is – at least for now. That’s why I try to never EVER leave home without coupons and I hardly ever shop (whether IRL or virtually) without having a coupon code, cash back link or another way to save a bit of moolah.

I am by no means an extreme couponer, but I definitely take advantage of what I do know and I wanted to share with you. On a recent trip to my regular Kroger I found a good deal in the “hidden” clearance area that consists of about four long shelves stocked with discontinued, damaged or overstock products. One day I bought large bottles of Pantene shampoo and conditioner for my oldest daughter at $2 and some change per bottle. The only thing to make that deal better would be having a coupon for that brand.

I’m telling you about the “hidden” area so you can search your Kroger for one. I didn’t even know it was there and I’ve been shopping at this particular store for about two years. I found the aisle a few months ago – it’s behind the self-checkout where there are often carts lined up with products waiting to be restocked. Right next to that are the shelves. It’s a narrow little aisle that isn’t visible when you walk by in either direction. I know someone who works at a Kroger about two hours away and he said that their shelves are in a weird spot as well.

Another great deal was on two bottles of shower wash: Gud Orange Petalooza and Vanilla Flame body washes as well as the vanilla body lotion. These products run about $7 a bottle for 8 or 10 fluid ounces and were marked down to about $3. I had two coupons, each for $2 off. A dollar and something for a $7 bottle? Yes please! Gud is a relatively new brand (developed by a Burt’s Bees team), and I love that it’s all natural and made without petrochemicals, parabens or pthalates. In addition, the products aren’t tested on animals.

Another name brand item I grabbed was Olay Regenerist. I’m already a fan of Olay so this was a purchase I couldn’t resist. I’ve noticed fine lines beginning to appear around my eyes so I take advantage of products geared toward these issues. (Take a moment to read a few other posts about my love of skincare products.) This product was originally $26.99 and I bought it for $13.49! A great opportunity to try a favorite brand’s anti-aging product.

Here are a few other ways I save and earn money or points:

Shopping through Ebates. I don’t make very large online purchases and I sometimes forget, but when I do shop I get a percentage of the purchase price as cash back. Can’t go wrong with that, right? (That’s my referral link. If I get a certain number of active referrals then I get a bonus, hooray!)

Use MyPoints. When you shop via MyPoints you earn points per dollar spent, which you redeem for their partner offers. You’ll also earn points if you view their offers, search using their toolbar or taking survey. You can cash in your points for gifts cards to a myriad of merchants including Amazon, LL Bean, Bath & Body Works, Bass Pro Shop, Target, Walgreens… almost any store you can think of. I’m about to cash in 300 points for a $50 gift card to Kohl’s.

Stalk stores. I try to signup for all the store and brands’ newsletters and promotions emails so I know when coupons and deals are available. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve searched my email before a shopping trip and printed out coupons totally at least $10 or more to save on my trip. It’s not just food brands, anything you use on a regular basis or a lot of in your home or life.

Even if you’re not on a fixed income, taking advantage of deals, cash back, coupons and rebates is just good money management. It’s one of the best – and most fun ways – I’ve found to maximize on my dollars.

Complete disclosure: This is NOT a sponsored or paid post. There is one referral link to my Ebates. If enough people sign up under my link I’ll earn a little extra cash back. As always, all opinions included are my own and were in no way influenced by anyone else. Click for my ever-so-interesting full disclosure policy.